Do young children need to wear masks: pediatricians answer
'29.05.2020'
Source: Rbc style
Japanese pediatricians answered a question that bothered all parents of babies, writes Rbc style. Do I need to wear a mask for children under two years of age?
Japanese pediatricians urge parents not to use masks for children under two years of age. According to doctors, this increases the risk of heat stroke and increases the load on the heart. And most importantly, it can cause asphyxiation.
Experts from the Japan Association of Pediatricians point out that due to the narrow respiratory tract in infants, wearing medical masks is dangerous to their health. For example, personal protective equipment can make breathing more difficult and cause asthma attacks.
“Stop using masks for children under two years of age,” doctors say on the organization’s website.
Experts also note that medical masks create an additional burden on the heart, and in hot weather increase the risk of heat stroke. “In addition, vomiting often occurs in young children, which can cause pneumonia and suffocation when wearing a mask,” added Akira Kamikawa, head of the Japan Association of Pediatricians.
On the subject: Can a medical mask protect against flu, coronavirus and other acute respiratory viral infections
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC, an association of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are of the same opinion.
Japanese doctors recalled that there are very few cases of coronavirus among young children, and few have received the virus from members of their families. There were practically no outbreaks of infection in schools and kindergartens.
As of May 26, in Japan 16,5 thousand cases of coronavirus infection were registered, more than 800 patients died.
